What we call “The Golden Rule” or “The Ethic of Reciprocity” is the most common moral idea throughout human societies as far back as we know. This setting is in a different style than what most people expect from me, more of a pop style, a “vocal a cappella” feel. Using either percussion instruments or vocal percussion is highly reccomended

PROGRAM NOTES

Bahá’í Faith:
“Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.” “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.” Baha’u’llah

“And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.” Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. 1

Brahmanism:
“This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you”. Mahabharata, 5:1517 ”

Buddhism:
“…a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?” Samyutta NIkaya v. 353

Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” Udana-Varga 5:18

“All men tremble at the rod, all men fear death:
Putting oneself in the place of others, kill not nor cause to kill.
All men tremble at the rod, unto all men life is dear;
Doing as one would be done by, kill not nor cause to kill.”

“One should seek for others the happiness one desires for oneself.”

Christianity:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12, King James Version.

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Luke 6:31, King James Version.

“…and don’t do what you hate…”, Gospel of Thomas 6. The Gospel of Thomas is one of about 40 gospels that circulated among the early Christian movement, but which never made it into the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).

Confucianism:
He appears to have been the first person to record the Golden Rule in its negative form. This is sometimes referred to as the “Silver Rule.”
Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you” Doctrine of the Mean

“What I do not wish men to do to me, I also wish not to do to men.” Analects 15:23

What a man dislikes in those who are over him, let him not display toward those who are under him; what he dislikes in those who are under him, let him not display toward those who are over him! This is called the standard, by which, as a measuring square, to regulate one’s conduct. 6

“Tse-kung asked, ‘Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?’ Confucius replied, ‘It is the word ‘shu’ — reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'” Doctrine of the Mean 13.3

He also expressed the Golden Rule in its positive form:
“Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence.” Mencius VII.A.4

“There are four things in the moral life of man, not one of which I have been able to carry out in my life. To serve my father as I would
expect my son to serve me: that I have not been able to do. To serve my sovereign as I would expect a minister under me to serve me:
that I have not been able to do. To act towards my elder brother, as I would expect my younger brother to act towards me: that I have
not been able to do. To be the first to behave toward friends as I would expect them to behave towards me: that I have not been able
to do. 6

Ancient Egyptian:
“Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.” The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 – 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to circa 1800 BCE and may be the earliest version of the Epic of Reciprocity ever written. 2

Hinduism:
“This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.” Mahabharata 5:1517

The religion of the Incas:
“Do not to another what you would not yourself experience.” Manco Capoc, founder of the empire of Peru. 6

Islam:
“None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” Number 13 of Imam “Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths.” 3

Hadiths are writings by Muhammad. There do not appear to be any verses in the Qur’an that explicitly state the Golden Rule.

Jainism:
“Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so.” Acarangasutra 5.101-2.

“In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.” Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara

A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. “Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

Love Your Neighbor

Love your neighbor as yourself
for when we love our neighbors as ourselves,
we can create love, freedom, joy, peace, and harmony.

“Glad that I live, am I!” This setting of Lizette Woodworth Reese’s poem is full of joy, hope, and positive energy, to lift up and inspire both your singers and audiences. A particularly effective piece for festivals and festival choirs.

PROGRAM NOTES

The energy, hope and positive energy in the poem is reinforced by the layered rhythms and syncopations in both the piano and voice parts. The poem is divided into three parts. The first part is an expression of the feeling of the joy of the natural world. The middle section explores in simple terms the cyclical nature of natural systems. When the musical material returns, it is both recognizable and developed a little more each time. The third section introduces the last lines of the poems as a mantra, repeated back and forth between two parts while a descant group soars above them.

A Little Song of Life

Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow
Nearer the sky.

Oberon’s famous speech from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, describing in flowery detail his wicked plans. Dancing, spritely music that exposes Oberon’s delight in the nasty trick he is about to play on Titania.

PROGRAM NOTES

Oberon’s speech to Puck from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM shows him at a moment where he is particularly angry with Titania, and has decided to play a terrible trick on her. He expects to enjoy this trick very much, a lot more than he should. He tells Puck, who has just found the magic flower for him, where he will find Titania and cast the spell, a beautiful spot where she often sleeps. The flowers that are mentioned all have specific associations. Wild thyme is thought of as a favorite of the fairies. Oxlips are associated with sleep, and musk-roses are Titania’s favorite flower.

The music traces Oberon’s delight in the trick he is about to play in the dance-like rhythms, but also his deepening anger as the harmonies get darker and more harsh as he imagines Titania in the throes of his spell.

from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

OBERON (to Puck)

Hast thou the flower there? …

I pray thee, give it me.
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamell’d skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in:
And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies…

PROGRAM NOTES

“Glass” was composed as part of a collaborative process between the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers and the Urban Poets Society. Urban Poets Society gives voice to writers through youth programs, open mic poetry readings, and other activities designed to empower through the written and spoken word. This poem was written when the poet was just 17 years old, and comes from a sensibility formed by slam poetry and hip hop culture, which you can hear in the internal rhythms and rhyme scheme. The music combines that structure with harmonies more associated with vocal jazz, as well as an approach to repetition reminiscent of minimalism.

GLASS

You have to hold her like
she’s made of glass.
As if she would shatter
at your very touch.

Seeing as she is
see through
light bounces through
her crystalline being
at the warm touch of sunlight.

It is apparent that her heart is transparent
and as delicate as fine china.
And I’ve seen the scar
the cracks and breaks

I wonder if you’re like me and
people took chunks out of you
when they walked right
out of your life
and while I filled up all
my empty spaces
with so much spite I take

one look at her and think
my demons
could be gone
for quite some time

And when I think that happiness can only
be obtained in my sleep
I look at her
and think
man she is the most beautiful thing I
have ever seen.

And I know some people have come
and scarred your heart but believe me
when I say they only cut out
the rough edges,
and now I can see you
for what you truly are.

PROGRAM NOTES

This piece follows the tradition of hymns and spirituals such as “Shall We Gather At The River, “ “Deep River,” and “When Peace, Like a River.” The river of your life gathers streams of memory and experience as it flows. People and ideas from your past and your present all exist together in your conscious and unconscious mind. The music for “River” grows from a contemplative dream state, that place where dreaming and wakefulness exist together. The underlying gentle wave patterns and ripples of sound come from that feeling of floating, completely carried and supported by the river, but always in motion. In rhythmic and harmonic structure, it is the calm, deep river that runs through the valley, the mature river that has already passed the rapids and turbulence of its beginnings.

~Reginald Unterseher

Rivers have always been meeting places. They are a symbol of something both permanent and ever changing. The dream imagery in these lyrics is the outline of journey where even the solid ground of a meadow dances.

~Sheila Dunlop

RIVER

Just below senses
the river flows
boundless

We know it in dreams
wake to fading memory
with fresh tears

The river
the home of dreams
where all those we love
gather

The meadow
of sentient immortal flowers
Colors impossible
Beings both here and gone
Air infused with wisdom

PROGRAM NOTES

This poem, though written in 1760 as a hymn and appearing in Southern Harmony and other hymnals, is not so much theological as it is a heart-wrenching expression of sorrow and loss.

Anne Steele was no stranger to this subject matter. Her mother died when Anne was only three years old. When she was 19, she sustained an injury to her hip, which left her permanently disabled. She was engaged to be married when she was 21, and on the day of her wedding, her fiance drowned.

This setting was inspired by the Civil War soldiers who would have known this from the hymnals of the time. The music starts with a quiet statement of fragments of the tune over a drone, like the soldiers in the quiet introspection of a night in the field. We then hear the first verse over a minimal accompaniment. The second verse begins with a driving, marching accompaniment, with the verse now stated in a more bitter, angry way with an overlay reminiscent of the ghosts of their fallen comrades. In the last verse, we hear resignation and acceptance as all the voices come together, before going back to a reflection of the opening.

The tune, DISTRESS, is unattributed in Southern Harmony, and was probably written by William Walker.

SO FADES THE LOVELY, BLOOMING FLOW’R

So fades the lovely, blooming flow’r;
Frail, smiling solace of an hour;
So soon our transient comforts fly,
And pleasure only blooms to die.

Is there no kind, no healing art
To soothe the anguish of the heart?
Spirit of grace, be ever nigh;
Thy comforts are not made to die

PROGRAM NOTES

This poem is full of the eagerness and joy we feel when a long, cold winter
is over and the spring is bursting with the possibility of new life, new growth,
and love. It is an invitation, one person enticing another with the promise of
sunshine, flowers, and the sound of songbirds. The piano provides an energetic,
active rhythmic drive with an excited heartbeat and the flowing of water from
the melting snow. The singers open with a sudden call for the object of their
affection to throw off the winter blues and come away with them, to share the
beauty that they feel returning. Then, they try a somewhat gentler, more
enticing approach, their music describing the sounds of the birds and the
amazing smell of the flowers that are all in blossom. We end with a reminder
of the opening, and hear them go off into the distance to experience the spring.

Though this piece was written in memory of someone who is gone, it is not sad
music. There are many phases of loss, and many ways that loss affects us. This
piece is about happy memories, with gratitude for love given and received.

RISE UP, MY LOVE, MY FAIR ONE

Rise up, my love, my fair one,
and come away;
for lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens her green figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
and come away.

A setting of the famous Longfellow poem for developing choirs, designed for young voices and choirs with more boys than girls. The poem explores the consequences of our words and actions, an important topic with special relevance to teens. The setting is rhythmic and energetic in the piano, and lyrical in the voices.

“How soon in spring, the bees!” This poem, by Carla Shafer, is a simple and beautiful description of six types of honey. The music explores the colors and flavors of the honey, all of it highlighting the importance of bees to the ecosystem.

PROGRAM NOTES

Commissioned by the Bellingham Chamber Chorale, Ryan Smit, Artistic Director, for the Chorale’s spring 2014 concert called “Northwest Passages,” we wanted a piece that was an expression of Northeast Washington state, an area close to the Canadian border, bordered by Puget Sound and the North Cascade Mountains. We put out the call for poetry from local poets, and received a wonderful response. This poem immediately grabbed me, though, for several reasons. Bees are so central to the life of plants, and there are many wonderful beekeepers and honey producers in the area. I found all the kinds of honey in the poem, and was amazed at the flavor differences. The length of the lines lent themselves very well to a variety of compositional techniques that allowed me to repeat and explore the words. I wanted to evoke the movement and sound the bees, the waves of a wildflower meadow, the bright colors of the fireweed, each verse with its own color.

A view from the future– what will cultures see and understand of the warnings we leave behind to mark the places where we have stored or abandoned our most dangerous waste, materials that will be lethal for from hundreds to thousands of years? The poem is grounded in the ideas in the proposed Yucca Mountain monument project, but set at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. A setting for three groups of singers. Recording and more information and score below.

About The Score: Upon first viewing, multiple chorus scores can be visually daunting. This score has been formatted to fit the full score onto letter size pages. If you want larger conductor scores or singer scores for the individual choruses, contact me.

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PROGRAM NOTES

This piece is a setting of the last poem in Kathleen Flenniken’s book “Plume,” published by the University of Washington Press. The collection centers on her experiences growing up in Richland, Washington during the height of the Cold War and later working as a civil engineer on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. This poem is based on the nuclear waste repository warning monument project, which wrestled with the question of how to mark the location of areas that will be deadly for thousands of years. What language or symbols will carry the clear message “Don’t dig here, there is hidden danger” to generations far in the future, as language and culture changes, knowledge is gained or lost, and civilizations shift? How do we tell future archeologists to keep out? The piece is set for three groups of singers. Two groups, from the sides, function as the voices of today, a kind of Greek chorus, while the group of seven in the center represent people in the future trying to understand what the symbols mean.

From Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” this setting sides more with the woman’s point of view than most versions. It is available in 3 keys–medium high is a half step lower, the medium is a whole step lower than the high key.

TEXT

“Sigh No More, Ladies”

from “Much Ado about Nothing,”
William Shakespeare

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more.
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea, and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey nonny, nonny.

Sing no more ditties, sing no more
Of dumps so dull and heavy.
The fraud of men was ever so
Since summer first was leafy.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey, nonny, nonny.

Written for All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Richland, WA to honor their retiring organist, Ann Nash. Easily learned, and the congregation may join on the last verse. Score below, recording coming soon.

PROGRAM NOTES

TEXT

words: John Newton (1725-1807)

1.
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
he whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode;
on the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
thou may’st smile at all thy foes.

2.
See! the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint, when such a river
ever flows their thirst assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.

3.
Round each habitation hovering,
see the cloud and fire appear,
for a glory and a covering,
showing that the Lord is near.
From their baner thus deriving
light by night and shade by day;
Safe, they feed upon the manna
which he gives them when they pray.

4.
Blest inhabitants of Zion,
washed in the redeemer’s blood!
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
makes them kings and priests to God.
‘Tis his love his people raises
over self to reign as kings:
and as priests, his solemn praises
each for a thank-offering brings.

Written for the 2013 United Church of Christ Musician’s Association, this anthem is suitable for both sacred and secular situations. It explores that moment when a sudden life-changing event has taken place, the outcome is not yet clear, but nothing will ever be the same. Score below, recording coming soon.

PROGRAM NOTES

In every sudden disaster, accident, or terrorist act, there is that moment “between,” the border of one state of being to the new state. The knife cut has not yet begun to bleed, the pain has not yet registered, the buildings have not yet fallen. When the Boston Marathon bombs went off on April 15, 2013, the character of the people who found themselves at the center of the attack was clearly shown. So many people’s first impulse was to help wherever they could, give aid and comfort in any way they could, despite whatever peril it might put them in. This piece is a call to honor those people, to be those people.

TEXT

In the moment at the border of what was and what will be—
Stillness in the observation, not yet knowing what we see;
In the dawning recognition, light transfigures all below,
and the world bends in new patterns; seas raised up, the hills made low.

We are called inside the moment; mind and heart and strength arise
We will know beyond all knowing as we start to realize
How the change has wounded each one, how the wounds will change our lives;
In the face of stunning terror, human dignity survives.

Understanding guides our action— we begin to steer our fate
Running into flames and carnage, showering reason onto hate;
Building justice, teaching mercy, giving all to do our part
Bind the broken, mend the injured, heal the wounded human heart.

PROGRAM NOTES

The first verse is presented simply, just the melody in the upper voices. Then, as the altos drop a fourth to sing in parallel with the sopranos, the lower voices join, in fifths, with the melody in half time. The last verse is freely harmonized, with a mystical flavor, and the last chord feels as if it goes on rather than ends, in keeping with the words.

SATB, opt. Treble Chorus and Audience Sing-Along, with full or chamber orchestra, piano, or piano 4-hands

This set of four festive, secular Christmas songs with optional audience sing-along portions and/or children’s choir is a sure-fire way to end your Christmas concert. Whether in the SATB plus small orchestra version, the full orchestra version (which can be played without the chorus!), or with the piano 4-hands version, it is an easily prepared way to send your audiences out singing.

PROGRAM NOTES

The winter holidays in the Northern Hemisphere have long been associated with celebration, feasting, decoration, and gift-giving. These five songs reflect English, German, and American traditions and winter activities. Most of us know at least part of all these songs–sing along with us!

NOTES ON PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCE

These were designed to be easily learned and quickly prepared.

The audience sing-along parts can be cued by a children’s chorus, a small group or soloist who indicates to the audience when it is time to sing. It can be good to give the audience a quick heads up regarding which parts to sing along with. Make it easy for them!

Sing-along is not required, it can simply be done as a straight-foreward concert piece.

If you do them with piano, please do check out the piano 4 hands version, which captures the color of the orchestra more successfully and balances with the choir and audience